30 Years After Crash

The news last April of the rediscovery of the wreckage of a Hawker Hind aircraft which crashed in the Tararua ranges 30 years ago, in 1941, brought to light these pictures of the crash in the possession of Mr Bill McDonald, Te Karaka, and taken by Mr Buster Keavy.

These men were two of the party which went into the bush eight miles east of Waikanae to see if anything was worth salvaging.

Officials in charge of the party decided there was not. However, trampers, and members of the Wellington branch of the Aviation Historical Society decided the wreck was worth salvaging and have notified the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland of its whereabouts. The remains of the aircraft are in surprisingly good condition and if the wreck is rebuilt, with other parts to be found in New Zealand, the plane would be one of only two Hawker Hinds in the world. The other is in England.

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The Hawker Hind pictured a few days after the crash in 1941.

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After deciding that the plane was not worth salvaging the first official search party attempted to fire it. However, not enough damage was done to render it useless, hence today's attempts to restore it.

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This picture of a detached flight of Hawker Hinds was taken at Weraroa, just south of Levin, in 1941.The Tararuas are just discernible in the background